Ghosts Are Gone
by firstwivesclub
Summary: Misty could take absolutely no more; her own heart in her throat at seeing the scene before her unfold. Without hesitation she sat on the side of the bed, reaching out a trembling hand to touch Cordelia's arm; trying as gently as possible to tether the woman back to reality.


It was early on in her romantic relationship with Cordelia when she first heard it.

The full moon was pouring in through her open window. The night breeze creating a welcomed contrast with the heat of the inner bedroom. She'd stayed up well into the deep hours of the night, not quite being able to succumb to the temptation of sleep, and time had easily slipped away from her. Currently holed up beneath the down of her comforter, Misty was reading a book her lover had loaned her; the comforting sounds of Stevie drifting softly in the background. Alone, she was reaching the final chapter, when the strangest string of sounds began to meet her ears. Initially the noises had started out small, barely even noticeable, and at first she really hadn't taken any considerable notice to them. Her subconscious attributing them to the scratching of needle on vinyl and her over stimulated mind playing tricks on itself. But when the concerning sounds began to not only escalate in frequency but intensity she knew they could not longer be ignored.

Grabbing a shawl before leaving the serenity of her personal sanctuary and heading into the cold darkness of the coven, she tiptoed out into the hall, following the noises, listening in earnest until she found herself at the door to Cordelia's bedroom.

Being officially involved with Cordelia for such a brief period of time she wasn't quite sure of their mutual boundaries when it came to the lateness of the hour. After a heated interaction in the greenhouse days previous, that had involved broken glassware and fervent touches, they had formally decided to take things slow. There was not a hesitation of doubt when it came to Misty loving Cordelia. She loved the woman behind the door with all the essence her soul possessed but she didn't want any bond to be rushed or barrier forced.

Cordelia had taken an almost stranger into her home so long ago, a home that had many ghosts lining the walls, and until recently ones she had been without for so long. She didn't want to hurry anything that needed time. So as she stood there in front of the incriminating barrier of wood she wasn't sure it was her place to enter.

She contemplated knocking but the gesture seemed too formal considering their connection. Instead of doing anything Misty stood in the darkness waging an internal war. It wasn't until the sound of whimpering could clearly be heard coming from the other side that she threw self doubt and indecision to the wind.

The door swung open silently at her command and this time without pausing to consider her actions she silently crossed the distance to her partner's bed. Gazing down at the witch, Cordelia's face looked frightened, and even in sleep Misty could see the tears tracking their way down her beautiful face. Her slumber was openly restless.

Hearing Cordelia's cry pierce the temporary silence of the room caused Misty to startle; her nerves already on edge.

"Please no...I didn't...I didn't mean to" The young woman was certainly battling something only she and she alone could see.

Being the concerned partner she was Misty's brain raced off in a multitude of directions. Prior knowledge finally materializing to the forefront of her mind, she knew one of her fellow witches had mentioned at sometime that it was unsafe to wake those who were dreaming the way that her lover was now. Or was that only when it came to demonic possession? She tried hard to remember but she he had no intention of hurting the woman in any way; so even in her distress Misty continued to let her sleep. All the while keeping a protective eye on her own protector. The tables clearly turned for an evening.

Cordelia began to squirm beneath her covers. Struggling with purpose; trying to free herself from some unknown attacker. Tossing and turning so often that the covers surrounding her sleeping body had now almost completely fallen to the floor.

"PLEASE" She was begging now. "I'm sorr..." Her breathing was shuddering and the words were fighting for release. An intense sweat began to take over as Misty watched the woman's right arm twist in the top sheet. It looked like a prisoner beneath the linnen. Silence and then her scream cut through the night. Her tears were coming faster and harder than before.

The next time when Cordelia opened her mouth to speak the words she was trying so hard to utter abruptly cut off; replaced by the woman's whimpering.

Misty could take absolutely no more; her own heart in her throat at seeing the scene before her unfold. Without hesitation she sat on the side of the bed, reaching out a trembling hand to touch Cordelia's arm; trying as gently as possible to tether the woman back to reality. The moment Misty's cold fingers grazed the older woman's warm skin, Cordelia's eyes shot open accompanied by an unsettling gasp. In her distressed confusion Cordelia pushed Misty away from her; Misty landing on the hardwood with a resounding thud.

In that moment Cordelia was an animal caught between blinding lights and existence; looking straight ahead, completely unaware of her surroundings. Her free arm grasped desperately at her chest trying to regain some control over her body. The other still trapped in the imprisonment of bedding. Frantically she began ripping her arm free of the offending fabric, clearly still in a state of panic. Once free, her breathing continued to come out in struggled shutters; her body shaking violently.

"Delia?" it was barely a whisper, she didn't want to startle the young woman before her, but she wanted to help anchor the woman to the real world; to ease her discomfort in some way.

"Oh Misty" the caring coven leader flashed back in an instant; her own demons forgotten; always putting others before herself. Hurriedly wiping her eyes her only concern was for the woman startled in the corner of her bedroom.

"It's alright. Delia' it's just me," Misty said, trying to hide the anxiety from her voice.

Cordelia took a few deep breaths before responding. "Misty. You shouldn't be up so late, not with school in the morning. I know you're taking the girls on an outing"

Getting slowly up from the floor Misty once again crossed back over to the bed and hesitantly sat back down on the mattress beside Cordelia.

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" Her voice was so quiet and raspy. Misty was more scared than she had ever been.

"Delia?" Misty questioned again. The older woman looked away in shame and so much self doubt.

"Do...do you want to talk about it?" She tentatively questioned her further.

Cordelia's hands were still shaking and at her questioning she noticed her lover clasp them together in an effort to steady herself. There was no answer.

"Was it about Fiona?" Misty scooted closer to the head of the bed until she could take Cordelia's hand in hers. "Your nightmare, I mean."

Cordelia hesitated, then nodded in confirmation. "I suppose… I.." The words faded away and the tears began again. Misty reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Giving her the strength to continue on.

Cordelia laced their fingers together and reluctantly began again.

X

Daughter and mother were in the kitchen together but both very much alone. One recovering from the haze of weekend inebriation, the other desperate for parental attention.

Fiona sat at the kitchen table head in hands, trying desperately to stop the pounding thundering around in her temples; quelling the storm raging in her lower half was another battle all together. Keeping her eyes shut, she vehemently tried to drown out the irritating voice of her seven year old daughter.

"Mommy I..."

"Not now Cordelia" The coldness of the statement clearly lost on the young girl.

"But mo...Fiona...last night when I was at ballet we learned..."

"I said not now Cordelia" The words blending into a fierce growl.

"I'll just show you a little bit ok but you have to open your eyes to see"

Caught up in the excitement of possible acknowledgement from the woman she craved most, little Cordelia over exaggerated whatever step she had learned. In the next moment the deafening sound of glass shattering on tiled floor broke through the atmosphere.

Fiona was up in an instant. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Even daughter could tell mother was trying to find her balance as she towered over her trembling lithe frame. The brightness of the kitchen made it hard for Fiona to focus on the child before her.

"I...I didn't mean..." Cordelia could barely get the words out as the older woman's anger reached an unprecedented level.

Before she could protest further all Fiona could do was scream. "DIDN'T MEAN TO WHAT? I told you to stop and look at what you've done!"

X

Silence filled the darkened bedroom.

"You don't have to..." Misty began.

"It's alright" The gentleness of Cordelia's voice almost disguising her anguish. She closed her eyes and began again.

X

"You are useless. What did I do to deserve such a worthless..."

"I just wanted to show you my..." Her daughters tears recklessly streamed down soft cheeks.

"Enough!" Grabbing the kitchen table for support the older woman slapped her hand across her child's face, drawing breath from little lungs.

A bit taken aback at her own outcry of anger Fiona looked on in shock, clutching the offending hand to her chest. She open and closed her mouth before responding.

"Clean this mess up because...I'm...I'm not sticking around"

X

"She was gone for a week after that. I was alone for about three full days before Auntie Myrtle showed up. I guess my mother finally came to her senses and realized she left a child home alone"

"Cordelia"

"I still have a scar from the plate I broke, where the glass went underneath my skin. I panicked. I was only seven. I didn't know any better...I... I didn't know any better." The last whispering phrase came out as a guilt ridden repeat.

Misty looked down between them and sure enough there on the delicate skin of her lover's hand was a light scar. Misty used her own fingers then to caress the line, providing a sympathetic suggestion that Cordelia wasn't alone anymore.

Misty's rage was at an unprecedented level. How could someone so destructive be left to treat someone she loved so so horrible; and for so long. The only thing stopping her in this moment from finding that vile human, resurrecting her, and giving her a taste of her own medicine was the woman currently sitting next to her. She was much too good for anything like that. A woman so completely and utterly pure. Someone who could love so unconditionally even after all the wickedness she had suffered. The thought of it made her blood boil even faster. She silently began thanking powers beyond her control for Miss Myrtle's loving care.

Cordelia's voice brought her out of her silent musings.

"I suppose it was my fault though. I should have known better than to be so careless. I knew she was recovering but I was so excite..."

"You stop right there!" Misty shouted at her. Startling the young woman beside her.

"Misty I.."

"It was not your fault Cordelia. You were a child!"

"Misty calm down..."

"No I will not calm down. You are the most wonderful person I have ever known. You lead these girls, this coven, so selflessly. You put everyone else's needs above your own. Even me. From the first time I stepped into this house scared for my life I knew I was home. There is a darkness that hangs over this coven Delia' but you...you are the light."

Cordelia didn't know what to do; what to say. Her bottom lip began to tremble. She paused in thought, then nodded.

Her voice quiet "I suppose…" she still sounded unsure in Misty's ears "I guess it's just hard to believe she's really gone."

"She is, though." Misty continued on; softer this time.

"She won't ever hurt you again. That woman, despite being your mama, had no right to treat you the way she did. Her life was no excuse to make yours miserable; to hurt you. Nothing and I mean nothing was ever your fault. Do you understand that?" She began to kiss the knuckles of their intertwined hands, then kissing the scar marking her lover's past she began again.

"You deserve so much more, so much more happiness and love than anything you've had. Don't let her continue to treat you this way. Memories are exactly that; memories. Don't turn them into ghosts to haunt your future."

Misty faltered only a moment before she brought Cordelia's hand to her chest.

"My heart only has love for you and I'll spend every day making sure you know that."

Cordelia's eyes filled with fresh tears. "Misty" she whispered, her voice choked with emotion, "What would I do without you?" Cordelia used her free hand to caress the size of her partner's face.

Misty leaned deeper into the touch. "I could say the same thing to you. You rescued me –"

"No" Cordelia protested, her voice dropping to a whisper. "No, it was you who did the rescuing. You saved me. Set me free from my past. It's hard to remember a truly happy time when it comes to my mother, or even with Hank. The bad memories have completely smothered the good ones. She was horrible, a shadow of power I had to live under; a constant reminder of the high standard I would never live up to. I never could have stood up to her, never even thought of it, until you came along. I'm not strong enough; wasn't strong enough. I now have a chance to love. A chance to receive and give love. I can't repay you for that"

"We rescued each other Delia'" Misty whispered before pressing a kiss to Cordelia's open palm.

X

It was later, long after Cordelia had fallen asleep, that Misty began wondering. In rest, the woman beside her seemed untroubled, younger. She'd thought of her lover as a mentor of sorts when they'd first met, but their relationship shifted entirely the moment she shared the monsters burdening her past. It occurred to her then, when she felt a forgotten tear land upon her chest that it might take Cordelia a long time to heal from everything . To be forced to live with a monster like that for so long, to be bullied...

It was not hard for the Cajun to piece together images of Cordelia's life with Fiona. Applying her own experience dealing with the former Supreme, Misty had witnessed countless assaults during her short time as a member of this coven and yet couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around the ones she knew her partner had dealt with alone. The story she had just been told probably not even coming close to one of the worst.

Everything clicked into place in her mind.

Her memories had scanned through her time at Miss Robichaux's, tracing back each moment she'd seen Fiona and Cordelia together, remembering the way Miss Cordelia's voice would pitch just a tad bit higher at the mention of the former Supreme's name. Or how she would shrink in the back of the room when the elder yelled at the youthful witches of the coven. Cordelia was far more terrified than any of her equals during those interactions. Her heart ached for her lover.

Misty shook her head to clear it of such dark thoughts, careful not disturb the woman beside her, she placed a loving kiss on the top of silken hair.

Cordelia let out a breath as she shifted in her sleep, and in an instant Misty was attentive once more, stroking the woman's hair and watching anxiously until she was sure Cordelia slept peacefully. Friend or lover – it didn't matter in the end. Cordelia was hers to protect. For the first time, she felt true, honest love for another person, and no enemy, real or imagined, could be allowed near someone so special; her one and only tribe.


End file.
